A cybersecurity czar who could control the shut down of everyone’s computer network is in the works. Two U.S. senators have drafted a bill to establish such a position that would report directly to the White House.

Needless to say, several groups have concerns. Jim Dempsey, vice president for public policy at the Center for Democracy and Technology, thinks the legislation could force companies into a uniform model that would stifle creativity. Civil liberties are another concern.

Cybersecurity is currently a split bag–-the Pentagon and the National Security Agency watch over military networks, while private networks come under the jurisdiction of the recently established Homeland Security folks. Previously, most cybersecurity concerns have focused only on government and military computers.

This initiative would broaden the focus into the public community. It should also consolidate responsibility under one agency according to Dennis C. Blair, the director of National Intelligence. He acknowledged that any program they came up with had to make Americans feel that it was “not being used to gather private information.”

Many of the proposals were based on recommendations from a study last year by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. James A. Lewis spokebefore the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the US Senate about the effect of information technology on global economics. He voiced concerns then that the internet cannot be fully secured given how it is configured and governed right now.